Landschap Toledo

Description

At the start of his career as an artist, Schuhmacher experimented with new movements such as Expressionism and Cubism. From 1925 onwards he opted for a more realistic style, although we can still see some influences from Modernism. In this landscape he principally uses grey, pale green and ochre, a choice that is also characteristic of early Cubism. In terms of their dimensions, he depicts the houses of Toledo fairly accurately, using realistic perspective. The surrounding landscape has been abstracted by indicating height differences using diagonal lines that are sharper than they would be when seen in real life. The trees in the foreground and the houses in the distance are painted as clearly as one another, foreshortening the perspective in the painting, as is the case when using a telephoto lens. The trunks and branches of the trees are so thin that the upper parts look almost like separate trees on the opposite riverbank. However, with regard to their size, they do not correspond with the buildings in the city. All in all, Schuhmacher creates an image that is at once recognizable and alienating. It is reminiscent of the "View of Toledo" in which the Greek-Spanish artist El Greco painted this city against a menacing sky in around 1600. Schuhmacher visited Toledo in 1932.

[2020]

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